- US President has said that the United States and Pakistan are jointly seeking a way to end the war in Afghanistan.
- The US President wants to withdraw U.S troops in Afghanistan and sees Pakistan’s cooperation as crucial to any deal to end the war.
- In 2018,US had slashed millions of dollars of security assistance to Pakistan after it accused it of serving as a safe haven for militants. Pakistan has denied the accusations.
- Taliban and the US are currently focusing on four key issues that are going to decide any future agreement and the issues are (a) counterterrorism (b)troop withdrawal (c)intra-Afghan dialogue and (d)ceasefire.
- The US has also been urging the Taliban to accept a cease-fire and hold talks directly with the Afghan government.However,Taliban has refused to engage with Afghan government as it considers the Afghan government illegitimate.
- The Taliban has ruled large parts of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001,before being ousted in a US-led invasion.After years of insurgency, it now controls half of the country once more,mostly rural areas.
